Love is all you need
by GleefulAngel
Summary: Leroy and Hiram have always wanted to have a baby. What will happen when they put an ad on the newspaper looking for a surrogate? This is a prequel to Glee. Follow Rachel's story from her conception to her 18th birthday.


**Disclaimer – I don't own Glee. All characters in this story belong to Mr. Ryan Murphy. But the story is all mine.**

"How many women have we interviewed so far?" asked Hiram, rubbing his temples. His partner Leroy and he had been looking for a surrogate for months and so far, they hadn't had any luck. They had met with over 15 women and none of them had what they were looking for.

"Too many to count" Leroy answered, sighing. "Maybe the universe is telling us we shouldn't be raising a child together. What if we are not good parents? What if …?"

"Stop. This is our dream. Now, let's focus. We are meeting Miss Shelby Corcoran at 4. What do we know about her?"

"She is in college and she needs money" Leroy remained pensive, as he analyzed what he had just said. She needed money. Was that a good enough reason to accept carrying someone else's child for nine months? What if she ran away as soon as she got the money she needed?

"A penny for your thoughts"

"I was just …" the shorter man was interrupted by a young woman approaching their table. She stared at them as she bit her lower lip.

She wanted to become a Broadway star, she was outgoing and loud. Why was she suddenly feeling so nervous?

"Can we help you?" asked Hiram with a warm smile. He had a feeling that young woman was the surrogate they were meeting that day, but he didn't want to jump into any conclusions.

"Good afternoon, Mister … uh, sirs … uh, my name is Shelby" she stuttered as she wiped her soiled hands on her skirt "Uh, Shelby Corcoran, sirs."

Shelby could feel her heart beating faster than normal. She'd always been her own boss. Even as a little kid, she did whatever she wanted and said whatever was on her mind, without thinking of the consequences. She was outspoken at all times. She was what most people would call a daredevil. But this time, she was meeting with two strangers who'd put up an ad on the paper looking for a surrogate womb. She was going beyond being adventurous. This wasn't like jumping off a plane or getting a new piercing.

"Take a seat, Shelby. My name is Hiram and this is my husband, Leroy."

Shelby extended her hand, "Nice to meet you, sirs."

"Call us Hiram and Leroy, please"

Shelby nodded, as she smiled. She was trying to go back to her confident self, but she was finding it hard.

"So, Shelby, tell us about yourself," encouraged Hiram with a smile, "I understand you are in college?"

She nodded and realized that was her cue to come out of her shell.

"I am studying drama here in Ohio," she replied "I know what you are thinking. Who'd want to study drama in Akron, huh? I mean, if you want to become a performer, you have to go to LA or New York, right? And that is what I have always dreamed of. Well, not LA, because I want to be on stage and don't get me wrong, I am sure that there are wonderful plays on stage there, but I want to be on Broadway. I want to see my name in bright letters …" she said, closing her eyes for a moment and then whispered her name as she imagined herself on Broadway. "Shelby Corcoran"

Both Berry men looked at each other and smiled. They both liked that young woman before them. They were glad she was being more open and was showing them her true self.

"That sounds wonderful. I am sure your parents are really proud" said Leroy.

Shelby stopped smiling as soon as her parents were mentioned. "Uh, well, they are proud, I guess. My father always wanted me to become an accountant," she replied as she let out a loud sigh, "and my mom, well, she says she is happy as long as I am happy, but I know she isn't too thrilled about me becoming an actress."

Hiram gave her a warm smile and placed his hand on top of hers, "They'll change their mind as soon as they see how wonderful you are."

"Thank you, sir"

"Sir? What did we just say?" asked Hiram, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry"

"So, I take it you like musicals?" asked Leroy, "I've always loved A Chorus Line. During family gatherings, we sometimes put on a show and Hiram and I sing. Though, I must admit, we do not sing very well"

"Speak for yourself" interjected Hiram, smiling.

"West Side Story. That is my favorite musical. I am going to play Maria on Broadway someday" added Shelby.

Both men smiled and spoke silently to each other with their eyes. They knew there was something serious to talk about and it seemed like the right time to bring it up, since Shelby was looking more comfortable.

"So, you read the ad …" started Leroy, knowing that Shelby was not going to mention what she was doing there unless they asked.

Shelby nodded, as she started to get nervous again.

"As you know, we are looking for a surrogate womb. We've always dreamed about having a baby, but well, as you can see, we don't have the right equipment to carry one" said Leroy, winking at Shelby, who chuckled in return.

"Leroy!" scolded Hiram, "I'm sorry, Shelby. As my partner here was saying, we are looking for an intelligent, sweet and generous young woman who could grant us our wish"

Shelby nodded and was about to speak when the shorter man interrupted her thoughts, "I know you cannot give us an answer right away, and we don't expect you to. We all need to know each other better. But I can say that we like you, and we would love it if you could give us a chance to prove that we are honest men and all we want is a chance to become parents"

"You have nothing to prove to me. I mean, you two look like wonderful men. I just …"

"Shelby, sweetie, it is okay to be hesitant. It is okay to have doubts and we are not going to pressure you. We can talk about this in more depth later" said Hiram, "I just have one question. Why?"

"Why?" asked Shelby, trying to come up with the right answer.

"Why did you answer the ad?"

"The truth? As you know, my dream is to perform on Broadway, and I would love to move to Manhattan. But New York City is expensive and I don't think I could afford it. I am willing to start as a waitress and all that, but still, I would need some money to survive the first weeks and well … I have never wanted to have children myself, but this would be ..."

"…the perfect way to make your dreams come true, huh?" said Leroy, completing Shelby's thought.

"Yes" said Shelby, shyly.

Hiram and Leroy exchanged a look, knowing what the other one was thinking. Both men really wanted a baby and the young woman in front of them sounded perfect for them. But they had liked her so much that they didn't want to pressure her into doing something she was not one hundred percent sure she wanted to do.

"How about if we have lunch tomorrow? No pressure, no baby talk, nothing. Just three people getting to know one another" suggested Hiram.

Shelby hesitated for a minute and then smiled, "Alright. Lunch tomorrow."

"Same place, same time?" asked Leroy, "We just want you to get to know us better before we take the next step"

"Thank you" replied Shelby with a wide smile. "Thank you so much. Same place, same time"

She had a feeling that both men were going to become a very important part of her life. And as afraid as she was to giving the first step, she knew in that moment that she would do anything to help those two sweet men get their baby.

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" added Hiram, winking at Shelby.

"I love Casablanca!" uttered Shelby excitedly. "See you tomorrow, sirs … I mean, Hiram and Leroy"

"See you tomorrow, sweetie" answered Leroy as he watched Shelby leave the table.

"She loves Casablanca? Did she really say that?" asked Hiram, surprised "That must be a sign that we are finally on the right path."

"Let's hope we are, honey, let's hope so."


End file.
